Kids in the kitchen…Montessori tips to help your child feel comfortable in the kitchen!

Get your child in the kitchen with these Montessori tips, tools, recipes and activities for children! Before you know it, they will know their way around the kitchen and feel confident creating and preparing recipes!

 

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Kids and cooking

I know what you’re thinking…I know that many of you are cringing at the thought of having your child with you in the kitchen while you are trying to prepare a meal or snack. The constant questions, wanting to help, (but being in the way more than helping), licking their fingers and the utensils…I get it.

 

 

It doesn’t sound appealing to purposely put yourself through this, but there is a way that you can have your child in the kitchen and it be a HUGE success!! Of course kids in the kitchen being successful depends on many factors, such as child developmental levels, age, attention span, and maturity.  In short, you do not want to start out with your child’s first experience in the kitchen with making a cake from scratch!  You want to start out with small tasks at first, helping grab items, mixing here and there and getting out materials for the recipe.  As they start to show they can handle more complex tasks, introduce them gradually and follow your child!

 

Benefits of children in the kitchen

There are so many valuable lessons that can be learned by having your children actively participating in the kitchen, preparing food, and cooking!

1. It provides valuable, practical life skills.

Cooking helps promote practical life skills that they will use all throughout life.

2. It helps develop fine motor skills.

The hands on experiences of cooking develops fine motor skills, as well as hand-eye coordination, concentration and focus.

3. Cooking is math.

Cooking provides great opportunities for your littles ones to practice their math & counting skills.

4. It requires learning to follow directions.

Following directions is super important to any recipe. It also provides opportunities for your child to hone in on this important skill set.

5. It promotes creativity and self-confidence.

Helping to cook and make recipes is a huge confidence and self esteem booster for children. Just as you feel a sense of accomplishment for creating a meal or dish, so will they!

 

 

Where to start-

Practical Life: Montessori food preparation

In the Practical Life area of a Montessori environment, there are activities that allow children to prepare various food items for consumption. Ranging on the developmental levels of the children in the environment, you may see some or all of these activities out on the shelves. Each activity is set up with it’s own tray of materials, and if selected, children are expected to complete it in it’s entirety; ie, clean up all materials and replace it to the shelf as they found it.

Age appropriate food preparation ideas

Range from about 3-6 years old

• making freshly squeezed orange juice with juicer
• cutting apples with an apple slicer
• slicing vegetables (carrots, cucumbers, celery) with a slicer
• grating cheese or cinnamon sticks
• making lemonade
• spreading jam or butter on bread or crackers
• egg slicing with an egg slicer
• spreading hummus on whole wheat tortillas
• parfait making
• banana slicing with a butter knife

 

Related post: 10 benefits to children doing chores

 

The Montessori snack table

The snack table is also a place where children get their own snack. Children in a Montessori environment do not all eat snack at a designated time together. Snack is set up for children to have if and when they would like it. A snack table is set up with either two to four settings, and as long as there is space available at the snack table, children can sit down and have snack.

Most times, items at the snack table have spoons or scoops, along with a number; indicating how many cups, bowls, or scoops each child is allowed. There is also a space set up for children to serve/pour themselves water, juice or milk. The snack table is a very child centered area, as with all areas in a Montessori environment.

 

Child friendly kitchen tools

There are many kitchen tools that children are capable of using with proper instruction. Not once during my twenty year teaching career did I ever have a child hurt themselves or anyone else using any of the kitchen accessories used in food preparation activities. The key is the lesson and stressing that these tools are NOT toys and must be used appropriately. If instructed properly and with constant supervision, children can demonstrate that they can use kitchen tools in the manner that they are meant to used.

Blunt tipped serrated knife

 

Wavy chopper

 

Vegetable peeler

 

Related post: 5 key tips on implementing Montessori at home

 

 

Montessori recipes you can make with your child

 

Banana Bread

Ingredients/supplies:

• 3 bananas
• 1/3 cup unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 cups of flour
• 1 pinch of salt
• 1/2 tsp. of baking soda
• 1/2 cup of sugar
• 1 egg beaten
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• mixing bowl
• loaf pan

Directions:

1. Mash the bananas
2. Stir in the melted butter
3. Add in baking soda and salt
4. Then add the beaten egg and vanilla extract
5. Mix in the flour
6. Pour in loaf pan
7. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 5o minutes

 

Applesauce

Ingredients/supplies:

• apples
• 3 tbs. honey
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Directions:

1. Peel and chop the apples
2. Cover apples with water and boil
3. Once apples are soft, mash as needed
4. Add in honey
5. Sprinkle in cinnamon

 

 

Zucchini Muffins

Ingredients/supplies:

• 1/2 cup of zucchini
• 1 egg
• 2 tbs. oil
• 1/4 cup of honey
• 1/4 grated lemon peel
• 3/4 cup of flour
• 1/2 tsp. of baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. of salt
• 1/4 tsp. of cinnamon
• mixing bowl
• muffin tin

Directions:

1. Grate 1/2 cup of zucchini
2. Add egg, oil, honey, lemon peel
3. Then add flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon
4. Pour into muffin tin
5. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes

Ice Cream in a bag

Ingredients/supplies:

• 1 cup of half and half
• 2 tbsp. of sugar
• 1/2 tsp. of pure vanilla extract
• 3 cups of ice
• 1/3 cup of kosher salt
• toppings of your choice
• sandwich ziploc bag and gallon ziploc bag

Directions:

1. In the sandwich ziploc bag, combine half and half, vanilla and sugar.  Squeeze out the excess air, seal and set aside.
2. In the gallon ziploc bag, combine the ice and salt.
3. Place the small bag inside the larger bag and shake.  Shake until the ice cream forms and hardens.
4. If ice cream is too soft, place in the freezer for half an hour.
5. Remove from freezer, add your favorite toppings and enjoy!

 

Related post: 5 must have IKEA products for your Montessori environment

 

Montessori kid chef

One of my favorite young chefs is Rose Honey Parrish. She is a Montessori child that makes all kinds of fun, healthy recipes with her parents, Bobby & Dessi Parrish.  I first came across Rose and her amazing cooking videos and skills on Facebook and have been following them for about a year and a half.  Not only is she a Montessori child that cooks, but she also can clean up, prepare and set up her table.  Be sure to check out Rose in action on their page!

Rose and her family have launched a few cookbooks as well. Here are the first three children’s books,  The Tasty Adventures of Rose Honey!

 

Chocolate Chip Cookies

 

Chocolate Avocado Pudding

 

Cinnamon Apple Cake

 

Check out Rose in action!

 

Related post: 5 tips to raise an independent child

 

 

What to take from this

The most important thing to take from this is to have fun with your child, and to teach them the importance of kitchen safety. Emphasizing the fact that some kitchen tools can be dangerous, and must be used and handled properly is important.

Once you have laid the ground work and invite your child into the kitchen more, the more they will become comfortable and confident being in the kitchen making recipes!

 

Do you have any favorite recipes you enjoy making with your child? Please share them in the comments, I’d love to hear them!

 

 

Happy Cooking!

Anitra J.